


Do You Trust Me?

by spelldaggered



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Gen, Hurt Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Unconsciousness, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 09:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20851457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spelldaggered/pseuds/spelldaggered
Summary: (Originally written for) Whumptober 2019 Day 1: Shaky HandsA routine trip gone awry is nothing new, but now Arthur’s life is on the line, and Merlin and the knights are running out of time. Merlin’s only option is to use magic, and if that doesn’t kill him, the knights might finish the job.





	Do You Trust Me?

Merlin doesn’t know what is happening, or what is attacking them, but every inch of his skin is tingling, and he is certain of two things.

_Magic. Danger._

Another blast aimed towards him is deflected by Arthur leaping into its path, Merlin’s protests too late. The force of it sends them both flying backwards, and they are unconscious before they even hit the ground.

When he comes round, Merlin is not greeted by the sweet relief of confusion or memory loss. He startles awake suddenly, looking around frantically for his king.

“Merlin!” Gwaine cries, his voice relieved as he jogs over to him.

“Where’s Arthur?” Merlin asks, twisting around and trying to ignore the pain from his now aching back.

“He’s still out, but we’re just about ready to pack up and get back to Gaius...” Gwaine tries to reassure him, but Merlin is on his feet, not listening past the first three words. “...good that you’re back up, it’ll make it easier-”

Gwaine pauses as Merlin drops to his knees next to the king’s body, followed by an anguished moan. The king is white as snow, his eyes and lips tinged a greyish blue, and veins a deep purple against his skin. Ripping the layers off him, Merlin’s fears are confirmed when he sees the black tendrils creeping around Arthur’s heart.

Merlin knows instantly that they will not make it back to Gaius in time.

“Merlin, what is it? Do you know what did this?” Leon asks anxiously, as the rest of the knights crowd around.

“Magic,” Merlin whispers. Dark magic is coursing through Arthur’s whole being, and it terrifies him. “He’s been cursed. We need to save him, now."

“But without Gaius-” Percival begins, and Merlin shakes his head.

“Gaius can’t fix this,” Merlin says, running a hand over his face. “It’s... it’s strong magic. It will need magic to defeat it.”

“The king would never allow it,” Leon says instantly.

“And we’re in the middle of nowhere. There are no sorcerers out here, or at least, certainly none I would trust,” adds Gwaine.

Merlin closes his eyes briefly.

Gods, why had Arthur done this to him?

He’d always known that one day he would have to come clean, but he’d never imagined it like this. He’d wanted the moment to be grand, to help as many people as possible, to be worth the sacrifice. Instead, he would save Arthur alone, because his destiny has only ever been intertwined with one other’s, and besides, Arthur’s a selfish bastard.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin summons forth the power he has always fought so hard to suppress in the presence of the men around him, his heart breaking in the knowledge they would never look at him the same again.

“Do you trust me?” he asks, standing up and turning to face them all, his eyes glowing, burning.

They each recoil in different ways; Elyan and Percival somewhere between shock and surprise, Leon’s face displaying a hint of disgust, and Gwaine, the betrayal on Gwaine’s face hurts the most.

Leon is the first to draw his sword, and Merlin immediately holds his hands up in surrender.

“Please, let me help him. If I don’t try this, Arthur will surely die. If I do, I may die, but Arthur may live. And if I live...” Merlin pauses, and swallows. “If I live, I’ll come quietly.”

The knights stare at him, each of them torn as to what to do. Arthur would swear he wouldn’t want magic to heal him, but the kingdom couldn’t survive without him, and one servant was a small price to pay for the king’s life.

“What do you mean, you may die?” Gwaine asks, the first to break the silence.

Merlin looks at him sadly. “The magic... it’s in his heart. To remove it will take even stronger magic.”

“And you can do that?” Elyan asks sceptically, an eyebrow raised. “You?”

Merlin shrugs. “Probably.”

Leon narrows his eyes before sheathing his sword.

“Whatever has affected the king has clearly affected you too, Merlin. You’re talking nonsense. We need to get you both back to Gaius.”

Shaking his head in frustration, Merlin turns his back on them all, facing Arthur again, hands outstretched over his darkening chest. Behind him he can hear Gwaine muttering something about leaving him to it, Percival offering to wrestle him back to the castle if need be.

Merlin ignores them all and focuses.

Muttering under his breath, he starts trying to draw the magic out of Arthur, letting every ounce of his energy flow into his fingertips. Moments pass painfully slowly before Merlin realises that the darkness around Arthur’s heart is starting to fade, and the colour is returning to his cheeks.

He vaguely registers that his own hands are growing whiter, familiar purple threads beginning to creep down from his wrists, growing ever darker. Feeling himself falter, Merlin grits his teeth and redoubles his focus on Arthur, ignoring the physical pain it causes, the way the curse invades his body and leaves him feeling weak, and cold, and alone.

His hands are shaking beyond his control now, both of them now almost as black as Arthur’s chest had been. At the realisation his magic is working, Merlin lets out a feeble, half-relieved laugh.

Hearing the knights start to move towards him, and knowing he is about to give out anyway, Merlin sends a final surge of his magic towards Arthur, summoning all of the healing knowledge he possesses, and then he is spent, lowering his arms with his legs following suit. He is dimly aware that he doesn’t fall to the ground, but is lowered gently, that someone is talking to him, but he can’t hear them now.

Knowing he has done all he can to keep his king safe, Merlin drifts back into unconsciousness peacefully.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaah, I'm going to attempt Whumptober again this year! Hoping I’ll have more success than last year. Challenging myself to keep each entry under 1k, but if there are any storylines you want to see expanded upon, I’ll be choosing up to four to write more for in November. Hope you enjoy! Prompts/requests are always open over at [spelldaggered.tumblr.com](http://spelldaggered.tumblr.com) for anything you want to see, including Whumptober prompts - thanks for reading! Also, if I need to tag anything else, please let me know!


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